Sunday, November 20, 2011

Anthony Bennett - Bennett, a 6-8 beast on the low block, narrowed his list down to nine and since then his recruitment has been quiet for the most part. His current nine is Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, UNLV, Washington and West Virginia.

Zena Edosomwan - It was a bit of a surprise to see an undecided Edosomwan during the early signing period. His took official visits to his five finalist-Cal, Harvard, Texas, USC and Washington-and could have made a decision then.

Amile Jefferson - The versatile four man has a big difficult decision to make. He four star big, according to Rivals, will sign late and decide between Connecticut, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Stanford, Temple and Villanova according to Zagsblog.

Tony Parker - The recruitment of four star big man, according to Rivals, has been quiet since the release of his top list. Kansas and in-state schools Georgia and Georgia Tech seem to be the darkhorse with Duke, Memphis, UCLA and Ohio State creating the most noise in his recruiting circle.

Chris Obekpa - There is plenty of upside in Obekpa. At 6-9, he does many things great like running in transition, rebounding, defending and most importantly, Obekpa plays with a non-stop motor. He is being tracked by many high-majors and a specific list of schools he's considering has not been made.

Jarnell Stokes - Stokes is already physically able to compete on the next level. He's a tough kid that thrives off finishing with contact. He's considering offers from Arkansas, Memphis, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Ricardo Gathers - Gathers is just one of St. John's former commitments on this list but unlike the others, I believe the Johnnies have the best chance of reuniting with the 6-7 forward. He recently tripped to the St. John's game against UMBC and hasn't showed much interest in other programs.

Jakarr Sampson - Sampson, was the headliner of St. John's 2011 class but after being denied eligibility, the 6-8 forward went prep and opened his recruitment. Although St. John's has stepped it up as of late, Baylor among others such as Kansas, Pitt, Louisville and Providence have all been going strong at the former Johnnies commit.

Norvel Pelle - Pelle is the latest St. John's commit that decided to re-think his initial commitment. It's unclear what schools are interested in the 6-10 big, but Washington, St. John's and San Diego State are all possibilities but that's just speculation.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Shabazz Muhammad - No surprise, he's going to wait until the Spring to sign and beyond speculation, there is no UCLA for the 6-6 wing. Muhammad has stuck with the same list of schools that features UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and Texas A&M among others. His most recent visit was to UNLV to take in their opener.

William Howard - Howard, a french wing, has high major game. DraftExpress compares his game to Oklahoma City Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha. He's hearing from Providence, Rhode Island and Washington per NBEBasketball.com and could expand his list once he qualifies academically.

Dyshawn Pierre - There is no other way to describe his game without using the word playmaker. Pierre scores, rebounds, and gets his teammates involved. The Canadian has acquired triple-doubles on the international scene and has also made a mark in the US on the AAU circuit. He's a very underrated prospect that could be a impact player at the college level.

Savon Goodman - The former Villanova commit is making strides towards becoming a wing. Since decomitting, schools such as Arizona, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Texas, UCLA, USC and Xavier have shown interest and are all in play for the 6-6 forward.

Winston Shepard - Shepard is an athletic wing with an interesting game. He's a pleasure to have in transition and an advantage on the wing. He recently trimmed his list to Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, San Diego State, UNLV and UTEP.

Devonta Pollard - Out in transition, Pollard is your guy. The 6-7 athletic forward from Kemper County High will be a major addition to a college program. There are reports that Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas and Marquette, are trailing Kentucky right now for his services.

Aaron Ross - 6-6 Ross failed to qualify at Arkansas in the fall and took his talents to prep school and reclassified to the class of 2012. He planned to re-sign with Arkansas but however, according to CBS Sports, Arkansas has had limited contact and many other schools are stepping up. Dayton, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington are all interested.

Billydee Williams - A great outside shooter and also a good slasher. Williams provides an excellent threat on the wing that can hurt you in many ways. He plans to sign late and currently holds offers from Florida Gulf Coast, James Madison, Louisiana Tech, Murray State, North Florida, Oklahoma State, Richmond, Towson and UTEP. Auburn, Kansas State and Miami are also interested.

Torian Graham - Since decommitting from North Carolina State, Graham to Maryland seemed to be a likely decision for the 6-4 off-guard. However, now Maryland is out the picture. Baylor, Florida State, Memphis and Texas are all involved.

Jarvis Haywood - Haywood, a former Winthrop commit is a 6-4 wing, that can play multiple positions because of versatility. He has a knack for scoring the basketball and fill it up easily. He has offers from Appalachian State, Charleston, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, High Point and Winthrop.

Andrew White - I was really surprised to see White not sign during the early signing period. There are reports that he has made his decision and hasn't decided to go public, but many other sources conflict those reports. However, that could be a good sign for Georgetown fans. Georgetown is making a late push at White after missing out on TJ Warren. The Hoyas will have to beat out Kansas, Louisville, Texas and West Virginia.

Sekou Wiggs - Wiggs is a combo-guard but looks more comfortable playing at the two than the one. He currently holds offers from Cal Poly, Idaho, Portland State and San Francisco, but looks to be wide-open with the recruitment process.

Anrio Adams - Adams notified me that he was not going to sign early. He flirted with jumping classes but ultimately decided to go to college during 2012-13. Many programs are after the 6-3 shooting guard that possesses one of the better offensive games in the country.

Jerron Wilbut - There were once questions about his academics but according to sources, his grades have cleaned up and he is on pace to qualify academically. Great news for himself and the colleges that are pursuing him. Wilbut is an athletic guard that plays with a great deal of energy. He prides himself on outworking his opponents and he does that more often than not.

Darren Montgomery - 6-2 combo-guard Montgomery had early interest from high-major schools such as Louisville and Purdue but never seemed to keep in consistent contact. Now, after a long silence in his recruitment, Montgomery is back on the scene and is better than before. He's a really good shooter and has developed his shot a lot. Florida International, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois are all interested.

Nino Jackson - Jackson, a 6-2 point guard from Ardmore High School (OK.), is one of the top options for programs looking for a point guard in the class of 2012. He's a very capable of playing both positions on the floor and would be a great addition for an up-tempo team that likes to run. His athleticism is off-the-charts and his ability to finish around the rim is solid. A lot of programs are after him but as far as who is still unknown. His recruitment has been very quiet for months now.

Ray Lee - At 6-3, Lee is a capable point that flirted with committing to Rhode Island weeks ago. However, he didn't and that could prove to work in his favor. As one of the only good point guards left in the 2012 class it'll be hard to see programs not try to play their hand with the athletic one. He's quick, can finish at the rim and has a solid jumper. He'll definitely show what he's work so hard to prove and that is that he can play the one at the college level.

Sam Cassell Jr - Cassell is a nice floor general with a good understanding of the game. His offensive game is solid and he can score in many ways, while his long frame allows him to come up with a lot of defensive plays against smaller guards. Maryland has emerged as the leader for his services after his recent visit to their Midnight Madness festivities. However, he is also exercising other Division-I offers as well.

Jonathan Milligan - Milligan, a 6-2 guard, could easily be the top uncommitted point guard in the country. He had a huge summer and broke out of the scene. He has a unique game that features elite athleticism and quickness. He doesn't have any offers but that will easily change as more teams continue to see his improvement. Right now, North Carolina State is the only high-major interested. Creighton, Fresno State, Jacksonville State and Townson are all interested as well.

Derrick Randolph - Randolph is a solid 5-7 but that doesn't take high-majors eyes off him. Arizona, California, DePaul, Michigan State and Villanova, have all taken a good look at the guard and with the Blue Demons need for a point guard, Randolph could be there guy. He doesn't have any offers but after transferring from Whitney Young to Hyde Park, he'll have the ability to show just why he deserves one.

Madison Jones - Jones is a great playmaker with good handle. He stands 6-0 and because of his play this summer alongside five-star guard Rodney Purvis, many look at him as a two. However, he has shown the ability to play the one and is very capable at the position. He has offers from Charlotte, Drake, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Richmond, Seton Hall and Tulsa, along with interest from NC State, Virginia and Western Kentucky. He's very wide open.

Jaquez Motley - Motley, a 6-0 point guard from Faith Baptist Christian Academy, is a developing point guard who only continues to get better. Right now, he's considering offers from Chattanooga and Western Kentucky, both schools that are in need of point guards. More schools are starting to show interest and his recruitment will definitely go down to the wire.

Tariq Carey - I think if Carey got a little more attention, more schools would be after him. He definitely has improved a ton on his point guard skills and his basketball IQ as well. His passing skills are great and once he decides to focus on his jump shot, he'll be a threat on the next level. La Salle, TCU and Virginia are really interested with more school playing their hand daily.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

When decision day came for 6-8 combo-forward Alex Poythress (Northeast, TN) the 2012 prospect started to field calls and eliminate schools.

He reportedly field calls to his four finalist but only one got good news from the five-star forward. Poythress decided to add himself to the already nice 2012 recruiting class of Kentucky.

He joins shooting guard Archie Goodwin and center Willie Cauley.

Poythress is a forward that is ranked highly by just about every scouting service. His athletic ability is off the charts and coach Calipari is getting an athlete that can get it done at two positions.

UK's top class streak may not be in jeopardy after all. Coach Calipari is in on many other recruits such as Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett, Jarnell Stokes and Amile Jefferson.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Before Junior Lomomba (Memorial, WI) announced his decision many already speculated who was the front-runner. His five finalist were Cincinnati, Cleveland State, New Mexico State, UCLA and Washington State.

Lomomba has high-major game and its easy to understand that distinction if you take a look at his final list.

Out of his five finalist, Lomomba decided it was best to take his high-major game to the mid-major level. "Yes sir," he said of if he committed to Cleveland State. "I signed [my National Letter of Intent] today as well."

Cleveland State gets a huge steal in Lomomba. He had interest from all over the country and blossomed on the national stage. He is very known for his performance this summer where he locked down top-20 prospect and Providence commit Ricardo Ledo, who is widely regarded as one of the most explosive scorers in the country.

Along with great defense is a slashing guard-forward that is undeniable at the rim. His jump shot is still developing and once he starts hitting the three with consistency he can be really scary.

So what actually attracted Lomomba to Cleveland State? "[It was] a good fit and good situation to come into," he said. "They've done good in the past few years and just needed a little boost forward. I think the recruiting class coming in can give that extra boost."

Lomomba joins a four man class that includes forwards Malik London and Gary Akbar of Ohio along with Michigan guard Bryn Forbes.

He is a great addition to this young Memphis program. He will fit right into Pastner's system, as he is a big that loves to run the floor. He also has the ability to face up, shoot to jumper or drive the lane and attack. He should be an instant impact player for Memphis once he arrives on campus.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Alex Poythress (Northeast HS, TN) has already made his college decision and plans on making it public this Thursday at 1pm.

Poythress is down to Vanderbilt, Memphis, Florida and Kentucky. many have speculated that it could be a race between Memphis and Kentucky for the five-star forward.

However, recent speculation has placed Vanderbilt in the driver seat, which is telling that his decision is up in the air and no one actually knows where he is headed.

Wherever he does decide to go he'll provide a instant impact. Poythress is an versatile 6-8 forward, who can really hurt you from inside-or-out. His ability to attack the rim is beautiful and the tough forward is a definite impact player.